Great read of course! I bought this book eager to read it and follow Robin and Strike on more adventures.
What you may or may not know is that J.K. Rowling is the author of this book. She published the first novel without anyone knowing it was her until a few weeks after it was released. After the success of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling said she would be taking a break from writing youth novels and focus on more adult stories. The first adult novel she released is The Casual Vacancy, and it did okay critically. Even though she stated that:
1. This was a novel for adults,
2. There would be no magic involved whatsoever,
people still expected this to be Harry Potter for adults. Critics gave the novel lukewarm reviews and the general public rejected it because it contained none of the magic of her previous books. It is for this reason I believe she chose to write her next series under a pseudonym. She needed to prove that she was an excellent writer capable of writing more than just kids' books.
“The whole world's writing novels, but nobody's reading them.”
This is a mystery series which follows a private detective and his secretary. In the first novel, Strike must discover the killer of a famed model and in this one he has to find the location of a missing writer.
The Silkworm begins eight months after the ending of The Cuckoo's Calling. Cormoran Strike's private investigation is booming after solving the Lula Landry case. His assistant Robin has become his permanent secretary and is determined to be a detective like Strike. Both of these characters are fantastic. Robin and Strike have great chemistry and they are both likable despite the fact that they are completely different. Anyway, business is booming, but most cases are boring. Nowadays Strike is paid to find out whether or not people are cheating on their spouses. When Leonora Quine walks into Strike's office asking that he find her husband who has been missing for days, Strike readily agrees as it's the most exciting case he has had in a while.
“...writers are a savage breed, Mr. Strike. If you want life-long friendship and selfless camaraderie, join the army and learn to kill. If you want a lifetime of temporary alliances with peers who will glory in your every failure, write novels.”
I love J.K. Rowling and have loved all of her novels (including The Casual Vacancy). I could see why The Cuckoo's Calling became popular and this book is just as exciting, maybe even more so, than the first. I didn't want to put the book down whenever I had the chance to read it. I wanted to solve the mystery as quickly as possible. Being a clever writer, she milked Strike's theory about the mystery with our revealing it until the last possible moment. Way to keep me on the edge of my seat! Anyway, I think the novel was the right length although I actually could have done without the milking. I wanted to know how he solved the mystery. It began to annoy me how much longer I had to wait for it to be revealed.
“We don’t love each other; we love the idea we have of each other. Very few humans understand this or can bear to contemplate it. They have blind faith in their own powers of creation. All love, ultimately, is self-love.”
J.K.. Rowling continues to prove that she is a great writer and I will never tire of reading her books.
“There are always loose ends in real life.”
Her writing style is detailed that you get sucked into the story regardless of the content. Harry Potter has a huge fan base and Cormoran Strike is starting to get his own, too. I for one, will always be a Rowling fan girl and promote her novels. I may be biased, but overall I think she deserves it and there are not many authors I like enough to push their novels on people. Definitely check the book out yourself and tell me if you agree.
"You know, there's pride, and then there's stupidity.”
If you think Harry Potter is too childish, check out J.K. Rowling's fiction novels. Don't let your pride keep you from a great story.
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